Levrier Courier bag

Good, honest custom made courier bag with no bell or whistles… although they could be mounted if you wanted

Weight:

0g

Contact:

www.levrier.co.uk

Levrier Courier bag

810TR McGowran

Levrier Greyhound messenger bag

​Levrier is French (I think) for greyhound (je pense) so I'm pretty sure these courier bags will make you go like the clappers on your bike (possiblement).

Based in Bristol, they are made by Dan Burbridge 'for cyclists who want their kit to stay safe and dry in the rain' which is a pretty good thing to focus on because it is always bloody raining in this country. Dan got into making bags after taking voluntary redundancy from his job in IT and having a bit of time on his hands and a bit of skill with a sewing machine set about making a courrier bag for himself. After making one for himself, all his friends wanted one and Dan found himself making a business out of it as the demand grew and Levrier bags, the company, was formed.

Our bag is an early model of the largest capacity model in the range, the Greyhound, with a 35 litre approx main compartment and ​a 5 litre approx front pocket​ makes it a bit bigger than a standard back pack. Built from super tough 1000​ denier nylon and lined with a waterproof tarpaulin the bag is designed for the daily grind a messenger will put it through, come rain or come shine, week in, week out. A bike messenger doesn't chose to stay indoors if the sky darkens and nimbus clouds​ obscure the sun so a bag like this needs to perform in the worst of it.

When you order your bag to be made, you need to specify which shoulder you wear you bag over or the buckles will be upside down. Your second choice is what colour you would like it in, navy blue, black or red for the outer and white o​r bright orange for the liner. Then there are further choices that will affect the price like non-stock outer colours, non-stock liner colours, twin outer pockets, scotchlite reflective strips, X-Strap (useful fo carry REALLY heavy loads), main strap extenders (another set of straps that clip onto the main strap to secure the flap when the bag is overloaded). And some changes that can save money like no back padding, no rib and stabiliser strap padding or no suspension straps.​​

It is a good sign when we see new cottage industries popping up in the UK, in a country that once upon ​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​a time used to be at the sharp end of textiles and manufacturing. This bag is well made, with a good level of detail producing a fairly traditional messenger bag with no bells or whistles just an honest hard worker that is built to last. The long body of the bag sits nicely across your back and with the padded stabilising strap is kept in its place well when riding and while full of kit. There is a padded panel on the back to stop awkward shaped contents prodding into your spine. Fully laden the bag can feel like you are giving someone a fireman's lift and does get a bit sweaty but it also feels like you are being given a big hug and that keeps you warm too. The supplementary X-strap ​was designed for Dan's young, whippet like frame and ​not for our more sturdy physiques in the Road.cc office because using it almost certainly would stop circulation to ​our heads. Remember, this bag is made for you (but this one was made for him) and this is how far Levrier go to getting the right bag for you. Alterations to the design now allow adjustment of all the straps so sharing the bag between friends of different physiques is now a possibility without disfigurement.​

Verdict

A good, honest, hard working messenger bag with no bells or whistles although they could be mounted to it if you wanted.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Levrier Courier bag

Size tested: Blue

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

The product is aimed at people who require bike luggage to perform in the worst of the British weather, day in, day out. This does.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

This is the medium/large size courier/messenger bag, with 1000d Cordura outer, fully floating PVC tarp liner, full padded straps, compression straps, suspension straps, front pocket and light loop. All webbing is either nylon (main strap) or polyester (everything else, including the edge binding!) - no cheap nasty polyprolylene stuff. Approximately 35L volume for the main compartment.

Stock outer colours: Navy Blue, Black, Red

Stock liner colours: Orange, White

Custom options:

* Non-stock outer colours: Burgundy, Forest Green, Olive Green +£18

* Non-stock liner colours: Red, Yellow, Blue +£10

* Twin outer pockets +£20

* Right shouldered + £free

* Scotchlite reflective strip +£10

* X-Strap (useful fo carry REALLY heavy loads) +£15

* main strap extenders (another set of straps that clip onto the main strap to secure the flap when the bag is overloaded - £5

* No back padding -£15

* no rib and stabiliser strap padding - £15

* no suspension straps - £5

Rate the product for quality of construction:

9/10

Quality, tough materials. Good attention to detail and finish

Rate the product for performance:

8/10

It was water resistant and it was easy to clean. The cross strap didn't fit because it wasn't made for us but the long body of the bag sits well on your back and is very stable.

Rate the product for durability:

9/10

These sort of bags last for years and in the months that we have been testing it the bag still looks untarnished.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:

6/10

The tough, thick nylon and tarpouline aren't the lightest of materials but they are reassuringly weighty.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:

7/10

The padding was on the thin side but the weight of the contents is distributed along its length, spreading the pressure.

Rate the product for value:

8/10

The value of the bag is made apparent after years of use and this should serve you well.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

You can stuff a fair amount of kit into this and carry it about in safe knowledge that it is going to be kept dry. A good messenger bag.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

It is handmade. No frills.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

That the straps lacked adjustment which has been changed for the new models.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, to the hardy all weather bikers

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 38 Height: 179 Weight: 79

I usually ride: Bike that I am testing at the time My best bike is: Giant CFR pro, old school carbon converted to fixed. Kinesis Convert 2 fixed. Shorter cafe racer

I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed, bare back

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Every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a real insight into whether it works or not. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective, and we strive to ensure that all opinions expressed are backed up by facts, but reviews are always a reviewer's informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores. It reflects both a product's function and value. Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad. Here's what they mean: